


Staying In

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:34:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24342124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: When Rian decides to skip out on going out with the band, Alex decides to stay with him.
Kudos: 3





	Staying In

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request!

“We’ve been All Time Low, thank you all so much for coming out tonight, we love you all!” Alex exclaimed into his microphone as the rest of the band continued to jam out to Dear Maria. They were playing a show in Indianapolis, and since they had a late bus call, the four of them had planned to do some bar hopping and stay out super late.   
Once they were done with their last jam, they all stood center stage, and took a bow as the fans continued to loudly cheer. The four of them interacted with the crowd some, throwing their pics into the audience, and Rian throwing his drumsticks. Eventually, the lights came on in the venue, and the four of them stayed on the stage for a bit longer, as the fans slowly started to filter out.   
Not long after, they all made their way off the stage, and Jack, Alex and Zack all had excited looks on their faces.  
“That was one of the best shows of the tour so far!” Jack exclaimed as they made their way backstage.  
“Hell yeah it was! I’d say that was definitely worth the celebration we’re about to have!” Zack added, sounding just as excited as Jack had.  
“You three can go, I think I’m going to call it a night,” Rian stated, earning surprised looks from his friends.  
“Call it a night? Dude, we all agreed that we were going to stay out late tonight, why don’t you want to do that now?” Alex asked back.  
“I still want to party, but I’m starting to not feel too great, I noticed it while we were onstage. I’m not sure if I’m coming down with something, but I think I need to just stay in and try to shake this thing before it becomes a bigger problem,” Rian explained.  
“Sorry you’re not feeling great, man. I guess the three of us will go out without you, then,” Jack replied.  
“You two can, I think I’ll stay back with Rian,” Alex decided, walking closer to where Rian was standing.  
“Alex, you don’t have to do that, you should go have a fun night with Jack and Zack. Besides, I’ll be okay on my own,” Rian assured.  
“I know you would be, but I want to stay. Being alone while feeling under the weather sucks, and you always help me when I’m in that situation, so I really want to do this for you,” Alex explained.  
“Well, as long as you’re sure,” Rian said, trailing off some.  
“I guess it’s just the two of us tonight, Jack. Next time we have a late bus call like we do tonight, we can all go out to a club or a bar,” Zack stated, making everyone smile.  
“That’s a good plan. I guess we should get going, text us if you guys need anything,” Jack said, before walking back to the green room with Zack so they could get ready for their night out.  
“I appreciate you staying with me, Alex. You’re right, being alone when you don’t feel great sucks,” Rian said once it was just the two of them.  
“I don’t mind at all, man. Why don’t you head back to the bus, I’m going to stop in the grocery store that’s around the corner and get some stuff for the both of us. Give me, like, fifteen minutes,” Alex explained.  
“Sounds good, I’ll see you soon,” Rian replied, before walking out of the venue and to the bus.   
Alex grabbed his phone and wallet from the green room, then went out of the venue, and started his walk to the grocery store. He took a backway so he wouldn’t get stopped by the fans who were hanging out near the venue, hoping for pictures and autographs. Normally, Alex liked to hang out with the fans outside after shows, but tonight he just wanted to run this errand, so he could get back to the bus and be with Rian.   
Once he finally made it to the store, he picked up a frozen meal for himself, then hot Rian some tea, soup, and popsicles, wanting to be as prepared and helpful as possible. After he decided that he had everything he’d need, Alex made his way up to the register. There was only one lane open since it was late at night, so he waited behind someone for a few minutes.   
Eventually, it was his turn, and he felt someone tap him on the shoulder as the cashier started to ring up his items. He turned around to see two young girls with surprised, and slightly nervous, looks on their faces.  
“We don’t mean to bother you, but we just watched your show, and you all did great!” one of the girls exclaimed.  
“Thanks, I’m glad you all had a good time. Let me pay for this, then I’ll take a fast picture with you all, if you’d like that,” Alex offered.  
“That sounds great!” the other girl replied. Alex handed the cashier a twenty, then took a quick photo with the two fans. next, he grabbed his bag of groceries from the cashier, and started to leave.  
“Here’s your change,” the cashier said, trying to hand him the money.  
“You can keep it,” Alex replied.  
“Are you sure? You have about ten dollars here,” the cashier pointed out, sounding surprised.  
“Give it to them to pay for their things. Have a good night!” Alex said, quickly making his way out of the store. He didn’t want to deal with getting out his wallet again, and he figured that it would mean a lot to the fans, which made him happy.   
Smiling at what had just happened, Alex quickly went back to where the venue was, then went straight onto the bus, surprised when he didn’t immediately see Rian.  
“Rian, I’m back, where are you?” Alex yelled, setting everything on the counter of the kitchenette.  
“I’m in the back lounge,” Rian replied, his voice a bit weak. Alex quickly made his way to the back, and saw Rian on the couch, wearing thick sweats under his comforter.  
“Hey man, how’re you feeling?” Alex asked, standing in the doorway.  
“Not great, I’m chilly and achy, which is a shitty sign. What did you get at the store?” Rian asked back, coughing some.   
“I got myself a frozen meal, and I got you some soup, popsicles, and tea. I wasn’t sure what you’d be up for, so I tried to get a bit of a variety,” Alex replied.  
“Thanks for doing that, some tea actually sounds really great, if you don’t mind making it. What kind did you get?” Rian continued.  
“I don’t mind at all, and I got honey lemon, a true miracle worker for when you’re feeling under the weather,” Alex replied.  
“That sounds great,” Rian stated.  
“Well, I’ll go make you some, and heat up my dinner, then we can watch a movie or something,” Alex said, turning around to go back to the front of the bus, and into the kitchenette.   
While his meal cooked in the microwave, he found a mug and filled it with water, then swapped it with the meal once it finished cooking. Once everything was heated and ready, he took it all out to the back lounge.  
“Here’s your tea. I didn’t put it in for too long, so it wouldn’t be too hot,” Alex explained, handing Rian the mug.  
“Thanks, Alex. What did you get for yourself?” Rian asked back.  
“Oh, I got frozen spaghetti and meatballs, the true dinner of champions,” Alex replied, laughing as he showed Rian what he was eating.  
“Well, on tour, it really is,” Rian said, laughing some as well.  
“I ran into a couple of fans at the store I went to, they were really nice. I took a picture with them and let them use my change to pay for what they were getting,” Alex stated, taking a bite of his dinner.  
“Oh, that’s cool, it’s always fun to see fans after shows,” Rian replied.  
“For sure,” Alex said. There was a bit of silence until Rian started to cough some. Feeling concerned, Alex helped Rian sit up and rubbed his back until he was able to calm himself down some.  
“You don’t sound too good; how long have you not been feeling great?” Alex eventually asked.  
“Since sound check, I guess. I’ve felt kind of worn out all day, and eventually I started to get a headache. I thought I was just overthinking it all, so I tried to just go about the day like normal, but during the show, I started to feel really weak and out of it. Oh, and this cough started, too,” Rian explained.  
“It sounds like you’re getting the flu. It’s a good thing that we have a day off tomorrow. We probably would’ve had to cancel a show if we had one,” Alex replied, taking a bite of his dinner.  
“That’s interesting to hear coming from you,” Rian said, laughing some.  
“What do you mean? Health always comes first, dude,” Alex pointed out.  
“That’s true, it does, but you never seem to think that when you’re the one under the weather,” Rian replied.  
“Yeah, you’ve got a point there. I’ve got to try to get better about that. I guess toughing it out is just kind of what my mind is programmed to do,” Alex stated.  
“It sure seems that way. I’m glad we don’t have a show tomorrow, but we’re supposed to go do tourist stuff when we get to the next city, before going to the hotel, and I was really looking forward to that,” Rian said, sounding bummed out.  
“Well, I’ll stay behind with you tomorrow, so you don’t have to be alone all day,” Alex decided.  
“I’ve already made you miss out on going out tonight, I don’t want to make you miss having fun tomorrow, too,” Rian said back.  
“I don’t mind, dude. We can just relax and watch some movies, it’ll still be a fun day, just a bit different,” Alex replied.  
“Are you sure?” Rian continued.  
“I’m positive, man. I’ve been left alone in plenty of hotel rooms, bored out of my mind and not feeling great, so I want to do this for you. Hopefully, by the next time we have a fun off day planned, you’ll be feeling better and we can all go out and explore,” Alex replied, making both of them smile.  
“Well, I appreciate that, Alex, it’ll certainly make the day a lot more tolerable,” Rian said, taking a sip of his tea.   
“I’m glad to hear that. How’s your tea?” Alex asked back.  
“It’s really good, I’m starting to understand why you always demand it when you’re not feeling great,” Rian stated.  
“That stuff is essential for me to sing sometimes, especially when we do a full set when my voice is a bit shot,” Alex explained.  
“I bet. Hey, I’m starting to feel a bit tired, do you want to watch a movie or something?” Rian asked his friend.  
“Sure man, do you have any requests?” Alex asked, already turning on the TV.  
“Not really, maybe we can just channel surf until we find something we want to watch,” Rian suggested.  
“That sounds good to me. Why don’t you look through our options while I take the dishes away and get something comfier to wear,” Alex said, handing Rian the remote as he started to stand up.   
Rian gave his mug to Alex, then Alex grabbed his dishes before going back out to the front of the bus. After everything was put away, Alex walked to the bunk area, and changed into some sweats, then grabbed a blanket and pillow before going back to the lounge.  
“Did you find anything that you wanted to watch?” Alex asked, setting himself up on the couch.  
“I think so. I’ll probably fall asleep pretty soon, so I put on something I thought you’d enjoy,” Rian explained, giving Alex the remote back.  
“Sounds good to me. Are you comfortable?” Alex continued.  
“Yeah, I think so. Well, I’m as comfortable as I can be while feeling like this,” Rian replied.  
“Understandable, dude. Hey, I’ll stay out here with you tonight, for if you need something in the middle of the night,” Alex decided.  
“I appreciate that, thanks, man. you’ve made tonight much better than it would’ve been if I’d just stayed here alone, so thanks for hanging back with me,” Rian stated as Alex turned out the overhead light.  
“I’m glad to hear that, man. get some rest and remember that you’ll get to be in a much comfier hotel bed tomorrow. Wake me up if you need something tonight,” Alex instructed.  
“Will do, thanks, Alex. Sleep well,” Rian replied with a cough.  
“You too, dude,” Alex said back. Just minutes later, Alex could hear some light snores coming from the other side of the couch.   
While he’d really wanted to go out and party, he was glad that he’d stayed back with his friend and could help him out some. It was times like this that reminded Alex that this band was really his family.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is a birthday request for someone on my Tumblr! I normally don't post on Saturdays, but I wanted to get this up, since it's a special request! As I said about a month ago, if you have a request that you'd like me to write as a birthday gift (that can be longer/more detailed than what I normally write), please send it to me, along with the day of your birthday, and I can write it for you! Also, I currently don't have any other requests to work on, and I've decided that once I get to my 190th fic, I'm going to post daily leading up to my 200th fic, so I need ideas to fill those days!! I hope you liked this fic, especially the person who it's for, and I'll have another new fic up tomorrow! Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
